Find Rest: A Women's Plan For Lasting Peace In A Busy LifeSample

God Calls Me Friend

I was really worried about a big decision that would affect the next few years of my life. I had eagerly wanted to go a particular direction. Now, the more I prayed, the more I felt uneasy about it. One Sunday, my pastor advised that if the disquiet was from God, I needed to trust His leading and turn away from my long-planned path. Yet I still struggled. 

The next morning, I felt God asked me a question: “What if it was Cassie telling you to change course? Would you listen if Cassie took your hand, looked into your eyes, and said, ‘I can’t explain why right now, but trust me: you can’t go that way’?” Cassie was one of my dear friends, and I thought, Of course I would trust her, because she’s my friend. 

And then I got it. 

We all know about Abraham’s strong faith and trust in God. What we sometimes forget is that Abraham and God were friends. And because they were friends, Abraham was willing to trust God enough to do whatever He asked—even walking up that mountain to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). He showed that God could count on him, and he knew he could count on God. Friends count on each other.

That title of “Friend of God” is not just reserved for the greats of the faith. God is our King, yes, but He also wants to be our friend. Through Jesus, God came to earth to do away with the penalty for the sin that was separating us from Him. And at the same time, He also wanted to live the same kind of life we live, to be able to relate to everything we experience as we travel this broken world. After all, shared experiences bond friends together. 

Is there something you need to decide today? Something you’re worrying about? Perhaps you have to decide how to pay the bills, whether or not to rescue your adult daughter from her poor choices, and how to cope with the pain of your divorce. Listen to the reassurance from the One who is (or wants to be) your best friend. Whatever course He is leading you to, He asks you to trust Him. Choose to trust God as your best friend, the One who will always do what is best for you. He is the friend who will never let you down.

Have No Fear